Road Rage Shooting, Area Police Chase May Be Linked

Fort Smith and Springdale police are attempting to determine whether three men caught in Van Buren Monday are connected to a Springdale shooting.

A man and two women were arrested at the conclusion of a chase that started in Fort Smith and ended when the suspects crashed their white passenger car in downtown Van Buren.

"The detectives are interviewing (one of the three) right now," Sgt. Anthony Rice of the Fort Smith Police Department said at about 9:20 p.m. Friday.

Detectives are attempting to determine if any of the suspects is the man accused of shooting a motorist in Springdale at around 9 p.m. Sunday.

According to a news release issued by Sgt. Shane Pegram of the Springdale Police Department, Steven Tinsley, 29, of Fayetteville reported that he was the victim of a road rage incident that started in Fayetteville and continued into Springdale, where someone struck the rear of Tinsley's vehicle.

Tinsley told Springdale police that after being struck in the rear, he pulled over, but was then struck on the driver side of his vehicle. He said a Hispanic male who appeared to be in his mid-30s then exited the white passenger car and fired an undetermined number of shots from a pistol.

"The victim was struck twice in the hip area while still inside his vehicle," Pegram stated in the news release.

The suspect fled in the vehicle, which Tinsley further described as a newer, "sporty" vehicle with front end damage as a result of the road rage attack, according to the news release.

Springdale police developed intelligence that the suspect may have headed to the Fort Smith area and notified local authorities to be on the lookout for a vehicle matching the description of the suspect's vehicle.

An officer with the Fort Smith Police Department spotted a vehicle matching the suspect's vehicle and attempted to pull the driver over. Following the crash at the end of the chase, the suspects were transported to the Fort Smith Police Department for questioning.